Attaching heels to shoes



M. CUOZZO ATTACHING HEELS TO SHOES Filed' May 22, 1956 July 26,1938.2,124,545

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 AME/V705 H 20/ July 26, 192.23. M zz 2,124,545

ATTACHING HEELS TO SHOES Filed May 22, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 mlmm/ I. pr lll m" TigTZL July 26, 1938. u zzo 2,124,545

ATTACHING HEELS T0 SHOES Filed May 22, 19:56 s Sheets-Sheet 3 "/VVENTUR'Patented July 26, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ATTACHING HEELS TOSHOES Application May 22, 1936, Serial No. 81,306

12 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of shoes and is illustratedwith reference to a method of shaping the heel seats of shoes for thereception of heels.

The front and rear ends of the overlasted counter portion of a womansshoe are commonly higher than the sides of the overlasted counterportion of the shoe with the result that it.) a heel attached to theshoe bridges the sides of rim of the heel and the sides of the counterportion of the shoe. Such a condition is objectionable since it isdesirable that the entire rim of the attaching face of the heel shallsnugly engage the counter portion of the shoe, thereby insuring that theside and rear faces of the heel merge attractively with the counterportion of the shoe. i

In accordance with a feature of this invention I propose to wipe limitedareas of the sides of the counter portion of a shoe mounted upon a lasttoward the heel seat of the shoe by the use of yieldable supports, whilea mold or a heel which is to be adhesively secured to the shoe is forcedagainst the heel seat, and then to apply heavy molding pressure againstthe heel seat through the mold or the heel while maintaining thesupports in clamped relation with the sides of the counter portion ofthe shoe, thereby insuring that in the finished shoe gaps such as abovementioned shall not be formed between the rim of the heel and the sidesof the counter portion of the shoe.v

In accordance withanother feature of the invention I propose to provide,upon the heel seat of the shoe a thick molded mass of adhesivematerialthe exposed surface of which is complemental to the attaching face ofaheel to be attached to the shoe, and then to force the heel 40 withclamping pressure against the heel seat. By providing a heel seat suchas above described the heel may be attached to the shoe without dangerof it becoming loose during the subsequent finishing operations anduntil the heel has been permanently attached to the shoe by screws ornails which aredriven from the inside of the shoe after the last hasbeen pulled. V

The invention will be better understood and appreciated from thedetailed description thereof read in connection with the accompanyingdraw ings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly broken away of aheel-seat molding machinein which a shoe is positioned, preparatory tooperating upon the same;

the heel seat, thereby forming gaps between the Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of the machine and the shoe illustrated in Fig. 1 as Viewed in thedirection indicated by arrowA of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken along line IIIIII of Fig. 1 after aheel-seat forming mold of the machine operating against the'heel seat ofthe shoe has forced a last upon which the shoe is mounted, withconsiderable pressure against an abutment of the machine;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the molded heel-seat portion of theshoe illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken along the line V-V of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 shows in perspective a heel the attaching face of which has beencovered with a thin film of thermoplastic cement;

Fig. 7 is another perspective view showing the heel of Fig. 6 placedattaching face downwardly upon a stove; I I

Fig. 8 is a side view, partly in section, of a portion of aheel-attaching machine in the process of applying the heel shown in Fig.6 to i the heel seat of the shoe shown in Fig. 4; M Fig. 9 is aperspective view of the rear end of a shoe the heel seat of which hasbeen built'up I by apiece of adhesive pre-formed prior to itsapplication to the shoe; and

Fig. 10 is a side View of a heel-attaching machine equipped with counterwiping mechanism such asillustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, in the process ofattaching the heel of Fig. 6 to the heel seat of the shoe illustrated inFig. 9. A

As above stated, the rear and forward parts 20, 22 (Fig. 1)respectively, of the overlasted counter portion 24 (Fig. 2) of a shoeZliare commonly higher than the sides 28 (Fig. 1) of the overlastedcounter portion with theresult that in the finished shoe the rim of theattaching face of the heel of the shoe bridges the sides of theoverlasted counter portion and is there.- fore slightly spacedtherefrom. Such a condition mars the general appearance of the shoesince it is desirable that the side and rear faces of 'the heel shallmerge attractively with the counter of the shoe. In order to insure thatgaps shall not be formed between the rim of the attaching face of theheel and the sides of the counter portion of the shoe, the illustrated;heel-seat molding machine is provided I with wipers 30 which are movableaway from each other and yieldingly support the shoe 26 against downwardpressure exerted by a heel-seat form-1 ing mold 32. The wipers 30comprise pads 34 shaped to engage limited areas 36 (Fig. 2) of'the sidesof the counter portion of the shoe. The

portion of the machine frame.

64 of the mold 32.

wipers 30 are pivoted upon screws 38, respectively, secured to the frame49 of the machine and are geared together for movement toward,

and away from a centralplane 42 (Fig. 3) of the machine. Dependingextensions 44 (Figs. 1 and 3) of the Wipers 30 are recessed. to housethe respective ends of a spring 46 which normally urges the wiper pads34 toward each other. In order to limit movement of the wiper pads 34toward each other under the action of the spring 46- there is provided abolt 48 (Fig. 3) one end of which is pivotally secured to one of theextensions 44 and the other end of which passes through an opening 50 ofthe other extension and is in threaded engagement with a nut 52.

The operator grasps the forepart of them- .verted shoe 26 mounted upon alast 54 or upon another suitable form and places the heel end ing 62 ina shank of the abutment -58 serve to secure the abutment in differentadjusted posi tions to the machine frame.

The mold 32 has an operating face 64 (Fig. 1) which is substantially acounterpart of the attaching face of a heel to be attached to the shoe,

.and comprises a shank-66 shaped to fit within a vertical guideway 68(Fig. 1) of an overhanging In order to raise or lower the mold '32 alongthe guideway 68 there is provided a segmental gear I0 which meshes witha rack portion I2 of the shank '66 of the mold and is secured to a shaft14 mounted in bearingsIB of the machine frame. A spring 18" connected toan extension of the segmental gear I'll normally urges the mold.32 toits raised position against the frame of the machine.

A lever is secured by a screw 82 to the shaft I4, the forward end of thelever being pivotally connected to a rod 84. The lower end of the rod 84is pivotally connected to atreadle 86 swiveled upon a screw 88'carriedby a block 90. When the treadle 86 is depressed the mold, 32 is forcedagainst the heel seat of the shoe yieldingly supported by the wipers 30until the cone of the last 54'engages the abutment 58. Further downwardmovement of the treadle 86 causesthe heel seat of the shoe to conform tothe operating face In order to retain the mold 32 in clamped relationwith the molded heel seat for a short period, the treadle 86 is lockedin its lowered position through the provision of a pawl 92 which isslidingly mounted in the treadle and engages a serrated face 94, of theblock 90. In order to release the treadle 86 to cause the mold 32 to beraised mold 32 is provided'with 'a resistance unit 98 connected by leadwires. I00 to a suitable source of electricity.

It is common practice to secure the heel temporarily to the shoe byadhesive until the various 7 and permanent heel-attaching operations.

shoe-finishing operations have been performed,

the heel being permanently attached to the shoe by screws or nailsdriven from the inside of the shoe after the last has been pulled. It isalso common practice to secure a tab or tongue formed I at the rear end.of the sole, to the heel end of the tively secure the tab to the shoeupper, and under such conditions the adhesive bond between'the heel andthe margin of the heel seat of the shoe is frequently not sufficient toretain the heel in position upon the shoe between thetemporary With theforegoing in view,'I'propose to insert beneath a tab I02 (Figs. 1 and 2)a massof moldable adhesive I04 such, for example, as thermoplasticcement, preparatory to molding. the heel seat by When the heated the useof the above machine. mold 32 is forced against the heel seat of theshoe the adhesive I04, after filling up the cavity I06 (Fig. 2) beneaththe tab I02, flows through a slot I00 formed in the tab and over the topof the tab, thereby providing a heel seat (Figs. 4 and 5) the exposedsurface of which is substantially complemental to the operating face 64.of the mold and to the attaching facevofa heel III] (Figs. 6 and 9) tobe secured to the shoe. The adhesive, in addition to building upthe'heel seat of the shoe to the propershape, effectively secures thetab I02 to the upper.

In accordance with a preferred practice, before the heel III 0 is placedupon the heel seat'of the shoe, a thin film of adhesive II2 (Fig. 6) isapplied to the attaching face'of the heel, the

a heel then being placed attaching face downwardly such, for example, asdisclosed in United States,

LettersPatent 'No. 2,076,537, granted April 13,

1937, on an application filed in the name of Lewis J Bazzoni. a

The adhesive may be preformed before its application to the heel seatvofthe shoe. In Fig. 9 there is illustrated a preformed piece ofthermoplasticadhesive I I6 which has been positioned upon the heel seatof a shoe I I8 having a short outsole I20, a tab I22 of which extendsashort distance rearwardly of the heel-breast line I24 of the sole. Theexposed face I26 of the piece of thermoplastic adhesive IIIi issubstantially complemental to the attaching face of a heel to beattached to the shoe. andis sufiiciently plastic to insure that the heelis effectively secured tothe shoe after being forced withclampingpressure against the heel seat of the shoe. In order to insure that thethermoplastic adhesive I I6 placed upon the heel seat shall remainheated to the proper temperature until the heel is applied to the shoe,the heel end of the shoe maybe temporarily placed in a suitable oven.

In Fig. 10 there is illustrated a heel-attaching machine comprisingwipers 30a which are identical with the wipers 30, the sides of thecounter of the shoe II 8 being wiped upwardly against {the sides of therim of the attaching face of the heel I I0 at the same time that theheelis attachedto the shoe, thereby insuring that the above-menof theattaching face of the heel. As treadand.

back blocks l 28,130 (Fig. 10) respectively force the heel against theheel seat'of'the shoe, the wipers 39a yieldingly force the sides. of thecounter portion of theshoe against the rim of the attaching face of theheel. When a last 132 upon which the shoe is mounted engages an abutment5811 further downward pressure of the heel causes the heel to besecurely attached to the shoe, the wipers during the attaching operationremaining in clamped relation with the counter portion of the shoe.Since the abutment 58d, the back gage 56a, and mechanism for operatingthe tread and back blocks I28, I30 are substantially identical tocorresponding portions of the molding machine illustrated in Fig. 1 itwill not be necessary to describe the construction and operation ofthese members in detail. Accordingly, the parts of the heel-attachingmachine (Fig. 10), which are substantially identical to correspondingparts of the heel-seat molding machine (Fig. l), have been givenrespectively the same numerals, each with an exponent a.

Although'the thermoplastic adhesive may be molded under pressure of theheelasabove described, it is preferable to use aheated mold theoperative face of which issubstantially the counterpart of theattaching'face of 'the heel to be applied to the shoe, since the moldingoperation relieves to a considerable extent the strain upon' the heel,which strain may be excessive when a very heavy molding pressure isexerted against the heel in distributing the thermoplastic adhesive overthe heel seat. Whether the heel seat is molded under pressure of themold or under pressure of the heel it is usually advantageous first toapply a thin film of tacky thermoplastic adhesive to the attaching faceof the heel as above described.

In accordance with one method of procedure the operator, after adjustingthe abutment 58 (Fig. 1) and the back gage 56, inserts a mass ofmoldable thermoplastic adhesive I04 beneath the tab I92 and positionsthe shoe 26 upon the wipers 30. The treadle 86 is then depressed to movethe heated mold 32 downwardly against the heel seat of the shoe. As themold 32 is lowered the wipers 30 are forced apart against the action ofthe spring 46, the sides 36 (Fig. 2) of the counter of the shoe beingwiped upwardly against the lateral edges of the operating face 64 of themold, thereby insuring that when the heel H0 is attached to the shoe nogaps shall be formed between the counter of the shoe and the sides ofthe rim of the attaching face of the heel. Final forming pressure of themold 32 against the heel seat is applied after the last 54 has beenmoved into engagement with the abutment 58, the wipers 30 effectivelyholding the sides of the counter against the mold during the molding ofthe heel seat. As above stated, the treadle 86 is retained in itslowered position by the engagement of the pawl 92 with the serrated face94 of the block 90. After a short dwell the trip lever 36 is swungrearwardly to move the pawl 92 away from the block 90, the mold beingraised under the action of the spring 18. The heel I H), the attachingface of which has been coated with thermoplastic adhesive H2 heateduntil it is tacky, is then attached to the shoe by a suitableheel-attaching machine (Fig. g

The illustrated machine by the use of which the above method may bepracticed is disclosed and claimed in application for United StatesLetters Patent Serial No. 118,625, filed December 31, 1936 in my name.

I It has been found that certain adhesives have a tendency to stick tothe mold. Such a tendency may be reduced to a minimum by providing analuminum mold or by occasionally applying oil to the operating face ofthe mold.

Although the shoe (Fig. 4) is illustrated as having a large tab I132which overlaps the overlasted counter portion 24 of. the shoe, it willbe under stood that the shoe may beprovided with a short outsole l2!)having a tab !22 (Fig. 10) or may be provided with a short outsole whichterminates at the heel-breastline of the shoe.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The method of attaching a heel to a shoe heel, thereafter positioningthe heel upon the.

shoe, and pressing the positioned heel with clamping pressure againstthe heel seat of the shoe.

3. The method of attaching a heel to a shoe which comprises, placingupon the heel seat of the shoe a quantity of adhesive material, actingupon the material to force it into the extremities of the cavity of theheel seat of the shoe and to impart to its outer surface a shapecorresponding to that of the attaching face of the heel, thereafterpositioning the heel upon the shoe, and forcing the positioned heel withclamping pressure against the heel seat of the shoe.

4. The method of attaching a heel to a shoe which comprises, providingupon the heel seat of,

the shoe a thick mass of adhesive material the exposed surface of whichis complemental to the attaching face of the heel, applying a thin filmof heated adhesive to the attaching face of the heel, and thereafterforcing the heel with clamping pressure against the heel seat of theshoe.

5. The method of attaching heels to shoes which comprises, providing ashoe an attached sole of which has a heel-seat tab provided with a slot,placing a mass of moldable adhesive beneath the tab, forcing a moldagainst the heel seat of the shoe to shape the. overlasted counterportion of the shoe and to force the tab against the adhesive therebycausing the same to be distributed around the tab, positioning a heelupon the heel seat of the shoe, and forcing the positioned heel withclamping pressure against the heel seat to attach the heel to the shoe.

6. The method of operating upon shoes which comprises, placing a mass ofmoldable adhesive upon the heel seat of a shoe, forcing a mold againstthe heel seat of the shoe to shape the same in accordance with the shapeof the mold,

applying a thin film of adhesive to the attaching so supported therebywiping the sides of said counter portion against the mold, andthereafter supporting the shoe through the last and forcing the moldwith heavy' pressure against the heel seat while retaining the sides ofthe counter in engagement with the mold thereby insuring that gaps shallnot be formed between the counter portion of the finished shoe and therim of the attaching face of a heel secured to the shoe.

8. The method of attaching a heel to a shoe which comprises,simultaneously molding the heel seat of the shoe and forcing the centralportions of the sides of the counter portion of the shoe toward saidheel seat without forcing the front and rear ends of said counterportion toward the under heavy pressure fora short period while thesides of thecounter portion of the shoe are forced toward the heel seatof the shoe, and atinitial pressure against the heel seat while forcingwiping members against opposite sides of the counter portion of the shoethereby raising the sides of the heel seat with relation to otherportions of the heel seat, and forcing the heel under heavy moldingpressure against the heel seat while supporting the shoe through thelast'and while the wiping members are forced against the sides of thecounter portion of the shoe.

11. A shoe having a sole provided with a tab at its rear end, a mass ofmolded material above and below the tab, the heel-engaging surface ofsaid materialbeing convex, and a heel having its concave attaching faceseated on said convex surface.

12. A shoe having a sole provided at its rear end with a tab having anopening extending through it, a mass of molded material above and

